


fervor

by yoonminoml (fanficloverme96)



Category: IDOLiSH7 (Video Game)
Genre: M/M, Non-Graphic Violence, Others make minor appearances, Psychological Horror
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-18
Updated: 2020-07-18
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:55:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25358818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fanficloverme96/pseuds/yoonminoml
Summary: Step one: Do not fall in love with the group’s center. He’ll take your heart and eat it in front of you.Step two: What does it matter? You already failed step one.
Relationships: Nanase Riku/Tsukumo Ryou
Comments: 14
Kudos: 23





	fervor

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BFCentral](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BFCentral/gifts).



When the first death comes, Ryo isn’t all that concerned. 

Tokyo is a safe city for the most part, but tragedies still happen. Sure, the woman getting her head cleanly cut off was a little disturbing, but again - tragedies happen. When he first heard the news on TV that morning, he grimaced but didn’t ponder much on it; instead, he switched the TV off and continued with his breakfast.

He has a busy day today. He doesn’t quite have the time to be scared.

Oh, but hm?

Just before the broadcast got cut off, Ryo saw a glimpse of the woman’s photo displayed on the screen. He remembers frowning. He remembers thinking that the woman looked oddly familiar but he just can’t quite place his finger on it.

He gives up. It doesn’t matter. He has work, and with all the shit he’s been facing today, he considers it a miracle if someone cuts his head off.

Riku greets him with a smile. He’s always smiling when he sees him. Riku’s smile is like the sun - a cliche description, really, but it really does wonders for Ryo’s mood. He smiles back before he could help it, and Ryo isn’t a very smiley person.

Not unironically, at least.

“President Tsukumo!” Riku greets him cheerfully.

“Riku~ Didn’t I tell you to call me by my name? We’re dating now, aren’t we?” 

Riku blushes prettily at his words, his head ducked in embarrassment. “E-eh, but won’t that be inappropriate in public? You’re still a president, after all. And I’m just an idol.”

Ryo pouts. “Oh, alright. I guess you make a fair point. You’ll call me by my name in private at least, right?”

The red-haired center beams at him, and instantly, all the stress and worries Ryo feels melt away. This boy really does wonders to his heart.

“Okay, I will!”

They walk side-by-side inside the broadcast station. Ryo would have liked to hold his hand - would have wanted to lace their fingers together and feel the warmth of Riku’s skin against his own.

But for now, he’ll hold himself back. He can have Riku all to himself some other time. 

“By the way, Riku. Have you heard the news? Some poor woman was murdered last night.” Ryo fakes a shudder. He isn’t really concerned - not to the point of fearing for his life, at least - but he knows how to put on a show. Knows how to earn some show of sympathy and coddling from his very young lover.

Much to his surprise, Riku merely hums and shrugs. 

“Yeah, I heard it this morning. Beheaded, wasn’t she? It’s tragic. People should be more careful.”

Ryo blinks. “You don’t sound too scared yourself, Riku.”

Riku pauses, before turning to him, grinning. “That’s because I have Ryo-san to protect me!”

Ryo’s heart skips a beat, his previous thoughts momentarily forgotten. He pinches Riku’s cheek playfully, smirking when the boy squeals out a giggly protest.

“Oh, Riku. You sure know how to steal a man’s heart!”

Ah. He finds out why the woman looks familiar.

He finds out when he absentmindedly calls for his secretary that day in the green room, looking at his phone while he waits for the usually mousy woman to hand him his files so he can brief ZOOL their schedule for the day.

It isn’t until he realizes no one answered him nor gave him any files did he lift his head and sees ZOOL giving him a strange look as they sit on the sofa. Haruka even looks a little angry, as if Ryo had said something insensitive.

“Tsukumo-san...didn’t you hear the news this morning?” Minami asks at last, breaking the terse silence.

Ryo blinks slowly, like he’s trying to get stubborn dust out of his eye. “The murder? Of course, I did. It’s in the headlines, isn’t it?”

“Then, don’t you know who the murdered woman was?”

Again, Ryo blinks.

He looks at his phone - clicks on his inbox. He clicks on one name.

The last message she sent had been last evening at 5 p.m. She didn’t send him a message this morning to check-in, like she usually would.

Ah, it’s -

“It was Kirishima-san,” says Haruka, “Your secretary.”

When the second murder pops up, it’s been barely a week.

Ryo doesn’t take notice right away. He’s too distracted to turn on the TV or the radio, or even read the news on the Internet.

He’s too distracted by Riku, who is now trapped under him, his hair fanned out across the pillow like a vivid red halo around his head. Riku is naked from the waist up, and his shorts are riding dangerously low down his hips as he wraps his legs around Ryo’s hips to pull him closer.

They’re kissing - all tongues and teeth and heat - and Riku makes the softest, prettiest noises when Ryo’s lips move to kiss along the boy’s throat. 

It’s been only a week since the last time Ryo had Riku all to himself, but it’s a week too long. Riku had been giggly and soft and compliant when he arrived at Ryo’s apartment this morning, eagerly rushing into his arms. They make no pretenses of small talk - Riku had kissed him fully on the mouth and Ryo’s hands found Riku’s hips like they belonged there and soon hands were scrambling to undress each other.

Sex with Riku is exciting as it is unpredictable. Or perhaps it’s because of its unpredictability that making love with Riku is never boring. Some days, Riku is sweet and loving and fluttery lashes and flushed cheeks.

Other days, he takes and takes and takes - from Ryo’s body all the way to his heart. 

“Ryo-san,” Riku breathes, gasping softly when Ryo bites down lightly on his collarbone. He tangles his fingers into Ryo’s hair, a sigh escaping his lips. “I miss you.”

“It’s only been a week, Riku,” Ryo teases, “You’re so greedy.”

“Is Ryo-san saying he doesn’t miss me in return?” Riku’s words feign hurt, but Ryo could hear the slow-burning seduction pooling into his tone. “You’re such a liar.”

“I didn’t say anything of the sort.” Ryo smiles down at his young lover, cupping his face with his hands. “I always want you. Every day, every single waking hour of my life.”

Riku’s eyes shine with delight. “You mean that?”

“Of course! If I can somehow convince your president to transfer you to my company instead - ,”

Riku giggles in response, unwrapping his legs from Ryo’s waist before scooting up against the headboard. His eyes glint, knowing Ryo’s gaze is fully on him when he slides his shorts down his legs, baring himself for all of Ryo to see. He smiles, pleased, when he sees the bop in Ryo’s throat when the man swallows.

“I _could_ be persuaded,” Riku says coyly, “If it means I can see Ryo-san everyday.”

Ryo knows Riku doesn’t mean the words he says. Those words are all for show; like a vixen, Riku knows when to be coy and inviting. But he’s also surprisingly pure in his ideals, and loyalty is one of the many he holds true to himself.

He’ll never leave his group for Ryo. Ryo knows this. Riku knows this.

But still; sometimes, they pretend. Their relationship is like this, after all - a dance of heat and passion. And Ryo willingly drowns himself in it.

“You’ll be the death of me someday, Riku,” Ryo groans.

Riku pauses, his eyes widening by a small fraction. For a moment, he looks surprised as if he didn’t expect Ryo’s words. 

But that look of surprise disappears as quickly as it comes, and Riku is smiling at him again, his eyes half-lidded as he looks at him.

“Don’t be silly, Ryo-san,” he purrs before kissing him on the mouth.

Riku opens up to him beautifully - moaning and crying into his ear when Ryo thrusts into him. Ryo tries to remember to be gentle. Riku’s an idol, and his body needs to be taken care of. Sometimes Riku allows him to be gentle. Treat him like fine china Ryo’s almost afraid to break.

Sometimes, like today, it’s almost as if Riku’s daring Ryo to hold him tight and shatter him into pieces.

_“Ryo-san,”_ Riku gasps, “Not enough. I need more.”

He rocks against Ryo, meeting his thrusts halfway. His head falls back, exposing the full expanse of his throat. His sweat-slicked skin shines in the dim lighting and his stuttered cries, mixed with the creaking of the bed and Ryo’s muffled groans, break the silence of the room. Riku feels hot and wet around him and Ryo cannot get enough.

Both of them are greedy. Both of them want more.

“Look at you, pretty,” Ryo growls, “Presenting yourself like this. You really want nothing else, don’t you?” His fingers grip Riku’s cheeks hard enough to possibly leave bruises, snapping his hips against Riku’s harder, faster -

Riku’s mewls are muffled by the pillow he’s burying his face in, but Ryo could hear the words he gives him. The hurried demands to give him more and not stopping - and in the midst of their passionate lovemaking, Riku had pushed Ryo onto the mattress, straddling him on his lap. He lets out a beautiful cry when his position causes Ryo’s cock to sink deeper into him. It’s the sort of sound that sends heat directly to Ryo’s groin, and when Riku begins to ride him in earnest, Ryo doesn’t stop him.

He’s beautiful like this - sweaty and naked and flushed and bouncing on his lap trying to chase his own pleasure. He catches a glimpse of the sweet and pure Riku who smiles at his fans from the stage as spotlights shine on him.

But that glimpse of such an image is quickly chased away and replaced by this absolute _feral_ of an animal, grinding against him like he cannot get enough. 

“Ryo-san, I’m about t-to -,” 

Ryo smiles, his eyes glittering with dark heat. “I know, sweetheart. You can -,”

Riku falls apart on top of him, his voice reaching a crescendo as he cries out, coming in ropes onto his stomach. Ryo continues to thrust into him as he does, finding some twisted delight when Riku gasps and moans tiredly against him yet not doing anything to stop him. When he finally does finish inside of Riku, the boy collapses on top of him, his body twitching and sensitive.

“Ryo-san,” Riku says a while later, tracing his finger on Ryo’s skin, “If I give you my heart, would you take it?”

“Huh? What a poetic question, Riku.” Ryo’s chest rumbles with laughter. “Here I thought I already have it.”

Riku beams at him. “Of course, you do.”

Ryo caresses the boy’s hair absentmindedly, one hand reaching for the remote control on the bedside table.

“And you, Riku?”

“Mm?”

He switches on the TV, frowning slightly when the news turns out to be the first thing that’s on.

“If I give you my heart, would you take it?” 

There is a picture across the screen, along with a name and time and place of incident. Fujiwara Takato, aged 59. He’s found stabbed multiple times across his body. The place where the murder happened is a park just a few blocks away from this apartment.

Ryo knows this guy. He’s the director of that TV show, wasn’t he…? And now he’s -

He feels Riku’s fingers pause - above the place where his heart beats in his chest.

“If you allow me to take it,” Riku murmurs at last, hands moving to turn Ryo’s face, smiling tenderly at the man before kissing him passionately on the lips.

It isn’t a few hours later, long after Riku had left his apartment for a schedule later that evening, that Ryo remembers one specific detail.

Fujiwara’s body was found in a state that indicated that his death had been fairly recent, perhaps even shortly before he was found.

He was found at 7 a.m.

He shudders. How terrifying.

That’s around an hour before Riku arrived at his apartment.

After what he did to TRIGGER a year ago, it isn’t to anyone’s surprise that the group holds animosity towards him. It doesn’t help that he’s been let off with a warning after being vindicated from his crimes thanks to his connections. While it hadn’t been his idea to begin with - instead, it was his father, surprisingly, who bailed him out -, it doesn’t change the fact that he’s been let go basically scot-free. 

He even gets to keep his job - although now, he’s merely a president in name and isn’t allowed to touch anything too important for the time being. 

There’s also the fact that he’s dating Tenn’s _brother._ The fact isn’t made public, but he knows he can’t hide it from Riku’s twin brother, of all people. And while Tenn cannot bring himself to hate Riku for his decision, nothing is stopping him from shifting that hate onto Ryo instead.

And Ryo had been prepared to accept it with grace. A small price to pay to be with someone he truly adores.

So when he bumps into Tenn alone in an elevator one day, he had been prepared for a tongue-lashing. A cold shoulder at the very least. 

What he gets instead is...a peculiar reaction. 

Tenn practically slams himself back against the elevator walls, his face twisted into that of fear. Ryo frowns immediately - this is a strange way to show your hatred towards someone. When he steps inside the elevator, Tenn scrambles for the exit, but the door closes before he could slip outside. Ryo hears a curse and much to his surprise, Tenn begins to desperately press the elevator button.

But as if to mock him, the elevator’s door remains closed and soon, it moves up.

This particular elevator in this building only goes to two floors: the lobby and the penthouse. It’s meant to convenience VIPs and allow them to discreetly enter and exit the building. Most artists are thankful for its existence.

Today, however, Tenn looks as though he is cursing it instead.

It’s a long ride to the penthouse floor - this building has over 30 floors, after all - and the pair ends up spending it in terse silence. Which would have been normal in any other circumstances.

If fear isn’t currently rolling off Tenn’s body like waves.

“Are you okay?” Ryo asks politely, “You look really pale, Kujou-san.”

Tenn flinches terribly, before he nods his head stiffly. He still refuses to look at Ryo. 

“Do you have a schedule here?”

“...”

“I heard some big shots are here, so we should get networking, huh?”

“...”

“Though I wonder if that would do me any good. As far as connections go, I’ve fallen from grace. Gotta pick myself up and -,”

“Tsukumo-san.”

Oh? Tenn’s finally responding to him.

“Yes, Kujou-san?”

Tenn hesitantly turns to look at him, his gaze incredibly guarded. Guarded and...afraid. 

“It would be better if we don’t talk to one another,” he says in a hurried breath.

Ryo keeps his smile on his face. “Of course. You hate me, after all.”

To his surprise - again -, Tenn shakes his head. “It’s not that. It’s -,”

The elevator comes to a halt. There is a ping sound, and the doors soon slide open. Tenn turns away from him, his legs already moving to exit the elevator, when he suddenly comes to a stop, a soft gasp escaping his lips. His face pales again, and his eyes are wider than before. His entire expression is twisted with -

“Huh? Oh, Tenn-nii! I didn’t know you’re here.”

Riku stands in front of the elevator, regarding his brother with a grin. He turns his head by a fraction, his smile widening the moment he spots Ryo.

“Ryo-san!”

It’s during this time Tenn would typically mumble underneath his breath to chide Riku into addressing him by his last name, as he should with Ryo. Professionalism and all that. He doesn’t do any of that now. Now, he stays rooted to the spot, as if he doesn’t quite know where to go or how to react.

Strange.

“Were you guys talking to one another?” Riku asks curiously.

“No,” Tenn replies hurriedly, “I just said my greetings, that’s all. Excuse me.”

He slips past them, not turning back to even look at Riku at least. Ryo’s used to Tenn ignoring him - but to ignore his brother as well?

“Did you two have a fight?” he asks a while later, lounging on the sofa at the penthouse living space.

Riku looks up from his script. He has a commercial to film today; a brand of drink, if Ryo remembers correctly, with this penthouse as the backdrop. Riku’s also paired with Tenn and Haruka, and Ryo would have thought Riku would be more ecstatic for being able to work with his twin brother.

But the two haven’t spoken since they bumped into one another. He eyes the older twin, who sits by one of the giant windows, his eyes glued firmly onto the script. Without his members around, Tenn looks oddly...vulnerable. Small.

“No, we didn’t,” Riku replies cheerfully, “Why would we?”

“Kujou-san seems to be acting a little strange, that’s all.”

“Strange? What do you mean?”

“I -,”

He catches Tenn’s eyes then. The boy isn’t saying anything, but his eyes seem to be screaming something at him. Ryo is nearly taken aback at the intensity of Tenn’s look, as if he’s trying to convey something unspoken to him.

Something he doesn’t want Riku to know.

The fact that the thought flashes across his mind is staggering, and he doesn’t have the time to really ponder why because Riku is already waving his hand in front of his face, trying to get Ryo’s attention.

“It’s nothing,” Ryo says at last, “I must have imagined it.”

Riku tilts his head to the side, curious. “Are you sure?”

Ryo sneaks a look at Tenn. There is no mistaking that pleading in the boy’s gaze - pleading him for something he doesn’t quite know just yet.

“Positive,” Ryo ends up saying.

Behind him, Tenn looks relieved, like he had just escaped something fearful.

Two days later, he hears the news of Kujou Tenn hospitalized for a serious injury. 

News reported that one of the stage lights had fallen directly onto him, causing a massive head trauma. There had been blood and screaming and Tenn had been rushed to the hospital in the midst of the chaos.

The young center would live, thankfully, but the impact of the stage light on his head caused a rather severe brain damage and Tenn woke up -

Forgetting how to speak. Or rather, he is unable to, like his mind refuses to cooperate. 

(His members had been ballistic.)

Riku, on the other hand -

“Don’t you - hngh - want to visit your brother, Riku?” Ryo says with great difficulty. Riku is kissing him insistently, his hands roaming up the man’s shirt as he presses Ryo against the wall. Ever since he got to Ryo’s apartment, he hasn’t mentioned Tenn once.

“He’s under critical observations, Ryo-san. No one outside Kujou-san can see him anyway,” Riku says in a tone that makes Ryo feel as though he had asked something silly, “Why are you asking, anyway?”

Ryo swallows. “I thought...considering his condition...you would want to see him.”

Riku stares at him.

For the first time ever, Ryo feels strangely scrutinized under that stare.

Then, Riku smiles.

“I do. But I can’t. So I’m here instead, so I can be comforted.” He blinks up at him. “Won’t you comfort me, Ryo-san?”

His fingers trail up Ryo’s arm, teasing the skin as he looks up at him coyly. Ryo tries to respond, tries to kiss him back eagerly when Riku captures his lips again, but it’s like the boy knows. Or perhaps Ryo had been too obvious to begin with.

He hesitated, even for just a second, and Riku is already pulling away. 

“Ryo-san, why are you so distracted?” he asks lightly, though his tone hints at a new emotion that doesn’t quite match the tranquil smile on his face. 

An emotion that sounds suspiciously like...annoyance. Displeasure.

“I’m just -” Ryo raises his arms in defence, like he’s trying to placate an angry animal. “Riku, I...You really don’t have to hold back, you know.”

Riku blinks at him, uncomprehending. “Hold back from what, Ryo-san?”

“If you’re worried for Kujou-san, I can always -,”

“Mou, didn’t I tell you that it’s fine?” Riku complains, stunning Ryo into silence, “What use is there for me to go to the hospital if I can’t see him anyway?” He narrows his eyes at Ryo. “Why are you so concerned about someone else when I’m here?”

“I -,”

“Ryo-san,” Riku says, pushing Ryo against the wall again. For someone so slight, Riku has so much strength. Ryo finds himself unable to say anything when Riku stares at him intently, one hand reaching up to stroke his cheek. The gesture seems tender. Loving.

But Riku’s skin feels incredibly cold now.

“You’re such a wonderful person, Ryo-san. I know you care for me. But see, hearing you mention another person’s name when I’m here...it makes me sad.” Riku pouts at him. “Don’t do that again, okay?”

Ryo swallows before he could help it.

“Ryo-san?”

“...Okay, Riku. I won’t.”

Riku gives him a bright smile. “Good!” He hooks his arms around Ryo’s neck, bringing his mouth closer to Ryo’s. “As for Tenn-nii...well, I’ll see him eventually. So for now…” Riku looks at Ryo from underneath his lashes. “Comfort me, won’t you?”

Ryo, he -

This boy in front of him -

He realizes that he cannot fight him. 

In the dance of heat and passion that is their relationship together, Ryo finds himself the only one getting burned, as he cups Riku’s face, seeing the corners of the boy’s lips pulled into a smile before he closes his eyes and kisses the boy deeply.

Tenn never quite recovered from the shock. A week later, he fell ill from the stress and had to be hospitalized again.

A few days later, the producer who rejected Ryo’s request to feature ZOOL in his program went missing.

A day later, as he is holding hands with Riku who smiles at him adoringly, showing no signs of remorse or concern for his currently ill older brother, he catches sight of a news broadcasted on the giant screen in the city centre.

The missing producer is found in his home, as if he had never left.

With a rusted knife lodged into his throat.

“I’m just saying that you should stay home!”

Ryo runs his hand through his hair, making a frustrated sound. “I can’t do that, Haruka. I have work. You know that.”

“There’s a murder spree going around!” Haruka protests, “And the bodies are found all within your neighbourhood. Doesn’t that creep you out even just a little?”

“About what? Do you think the murderer is targeting me? If anyone stabs me to death, I’d consider that a miracle.”

Haruka sucks in a breath. “Don’t _joke_ about that!” he says through gritted teeth. 

Ryo sighs heavily. “I get that you’re concerned, but I’ll be fine. It’s my birthday that day too. To spend it cooped up at home...how depressing.” He pats Haruka’s hair. “Thanks for your concern, Haruka, though, really...I don’t need it.”

Haruka roughly pushes his hand away, crossing his arms before glaring at his president. “Why can’t you for once listen to me?” he huffs angrily. He sounds like a petulant child that it’s enough to make Ryo burst out into laughter. 

“What are you talking about? I _always_ listen to you,” Ryo chuckles.

“No, you don’t!” 

The two continue to banter back and forth as they walk down the hallway, completely unaware of another pair of eyes watching from behind. Standing at the other end of the hallway, Nanase Riku watches them go in silence, his gaze zeroing onto ZOOL’s youngest member.

His eyes, normally so bright and full of life, are now cold with displeasure.

**_Ryo-san~ Let’s go somewhere for your birthday._ **

**_Where? ;)_ **

**_Here!_ **

**_[location]_ **

**_Meet me at 8 pm tonight. Wear your best clothes ^_^_ **

**_Someone’s excited._ **

**_Of course, it’s Ryo-san’s birthday! See you then <3_ **

  
  


The instructions he received from Riku is to take the elevator straight to the penthouse. Riku had reserved it this time, especially for Ryo. It sends a thrill up Ryo’s spine thinking what Riku could have in mind. He wouldn’t have minded just spending his day with Riku in his own home, despite his earlier words to Haruka, but a little excitement is good too.

But when he arrives at the penthouse, he’s surprised in a different way entirely.

Stepping out of the elevator, he’s greeted by the sight of a long dinner table placed in the centre of the room, which is dimly lit by candles on the said table. There are five people seated at the table - three men, one woman, and -

Haruka sits at the head, looking at Ryo with wide, terrified eyes.

Ryo belatedly realizes that all of them are bound to the chair and gagged, with the exception of Haruka who only has his hands tied behind his back. As soon Haruka sees Ryo, he starts screaming.

“Run, Ryo-san! He’s insane!”

“Now, now, Isumi-san,” a voice rings out, “That’s awfully rude of you.”

Ryo watches in shell-shocked silence as Riku steps out from the shadows, smiling prettily at him. There is a metal bat in his hands, to which he trails on the floor, creating a loud scraping sound against the marble floors.

“Ryo-san, you made it!” Riku says cheerfully, “What do you think of the surprise?”

“R-Riku,” Ryo chokes out, failing to keep his voice calm, “What is going on?”

Riku looks faintly surprised, as though he’s puzzled as to why Ryo hasn’t figured it out on his own. “Don’t you recognize these people, Ryo-san? Look carefully. I’ve gathered them here _aaallll_ for you.”

Ryo recognizes these people. Of course he does. He only saw them just recently. 

The man to his left is the producer of another broadcast that rejected ZOOL and practically threw Ryo out from the building. The woman next to the producer is the CEO of a company who spread malicious rumors of Ryo after his arrest, making it hard for him to rebuild connections more than it already is. The man to his right is a director who purposely made filming hard for ZOOL just to get back at him, before cutting out their appearances all together. The last man next to him is his father’s secretary, who would say demeaning things to him, regardless of whoever is in the vicinity to hear it.

The connection that ties these people together is fairly obvious but -

“Why is Haruka here?” Ryo asks, almost afraid to hear the answer.

Riku’s grin stretches wider, as if he’s been waiting for that one particular question. He stands behind Haruka, patting his hair like he would pet a dog. Haruka flinches at his touch but one of Riku’s hands roughly grapes Haruka’s chin, holding his head in place.

“Just because,” Riku answers nonchalantly, “I just don’t like him around you, that’s all.”

Ryo’s head is spinning. He grabs the wall to support himself, his knees suddenly weak to hold him up. All the while, he cannot tear his eyes away from Riku, who continues to smile at him serenely.

“...why are you doing this?” Ryo asks, “Taking them here, I -” He swallows heavily. “What are you planning to do?”

Riku giggles, skipping towards Ryo while carrying the bat with him. He stops in front of Ryo, leans in and catches Ryo by surprise again by pecking a kiss onto his nose.

“The same thing I did with all those other people who troubled you, Ryo-san,” he says gleefully.

Ryo sees his lips moving, but the words registered a second too late.

“I’m going to _kill_ them.”

All those people -

The murders -

Riku’s the one behind them.

Someone is singing a birthday song to him. Ryo sits in a daze at the other end of the table, staring at the terrified faces of the people in front of him. They’re no longer gagged and have started screaming at him. Ryo cannot move.

He sees a flash of silver.

A pair of red eyes.

And the most beautiful smile he has ever seen in his entire life. 

.

**_“Happy birthday to you.”_ **

The metal bat hits the head of the first person. Ryo hears a scream and then nothing else.

**_“Happy birthday to you.”_ **

The second victim doesn’t even have time to make a sound before Riku swings his bat into her face, smashing it to a pulp. She collapses onto the table, her blood soaking the table cloth.

**_“Happy birthday to Ryo-san.”_ **

“You’ll pay for thi -,” one producer tries to say but Riku had already begun swinging, grinning from ear to ear when his bat hit the man’s head harder than it did with the rest. The man’s skull practically bursts open, splattering blood everywhere. Some even land on Ryo’s cheek.

**_“Happy birthday ~”_ **

“No, please, no!!” Another man is hit from behind and there is a loud cracking sound. The bat lands on the man’s back and suddenly, the man looks as though he is collapsing into himself, before he falls to the floor, convulsing before Riku finally steps on his head, crushing it underneath his boots. 

**_“To you…!”_ **

“Stop!” Ryo finally screams just as Riku lifts his bat above Haruka’s head. Riku’s gaze is absolutely maniacal now, his irises seemingly glowing in the dimness of the room. When that gaze slides to meet his, Ryo finds himself rooted to the spot, held down by the sheer _fear_ he feels for this boy in front of him.

Riku tilts his head to the side. “Ryo-san?”

“Don’t kill him,” Ryo begs, “Please. _Please._ Haruka has nothing to do with this. Let him live, Riku. I beg of you.”

Riku giggles. “Ryo-san, you must really like Isumi-san, don’t you?” His smile is beginning to look more and more unhinged by the second. “But that makes me really angry, Ryo-san. After all, aren’t I your number one? You should only like me, Ryo-san.”

“Riku -,”

“That’s why -,” Riku returns his gaze onto Haruka again, ready to swing down the bat, “I’ll get rid of him -!”

He swings the bat down -

Haruka is already squeezing his eyes shut, preparing for the impact that will surely end his life -

“Stop!!” Ryo screams again, “Please stop! I’ll go with you, Riku. I’ll be with you forever. I won’t look at anyone else, I promise!”

Riku stops, the bat just inches away from Haruka’s head. He regards Ryo curiously. His eyes are bright - not with life or warmth, but with growing insanity.

“You really mean that, Ryo-san?” he asks.

“Of course!” Ryo says, nodding desperately, “I told you before, didn’t I? You could have my heart if I’m giving it to you. I’m giving it to you now!” He stands up from the chair, gesturing wildly at himself. “As thanks for getting rid of these people, I- I...I’ll give you my heart, Riku! You already have it anyway before this so -”

“Ryo-san, no -,” Haruka begins to protest but is promptly silenced by a swift kick to his abdomen.

“Don’t interrupt, Isumi-san,” Riku says sweetly, his tone dangerously low, “Ryo-san is confirming his feelings for me. This is an important moment.” He turns back to Ryo. “Isn’t that right, Ryo-san?”

“Yes, I’ll be with you forever, Riku!” Ryo cries out, “I promise I won’t look at anyone else ever again. I love you so much, Riku so -,”

Ryo grits his teeth before he slumps back onto the chair, looking at Riku helplessly.

“Please let Haruka go.”

Ryo stays rooted in the spot when Riku approaches him. The smell of blood and death is thick in the room and the only sounds left are Haruka’s whimpers, the scrape of the metal bat against the floor, and Riku’s calm footsteps.

Ryo could barely hear his own erratic breathing, his attention entirely focused on Riku.

“I’m so happy,” Riku breathes, stopping in front of him. He moves to straddle Ryo on the chair, letting go of the bat to hook his arms around Ryo’s neck. “You’re thankful for everything I did?”

Ryo forces himself to nod. “Yes, Riku.”

“You love me?”

“I’ve always loved you.”

Riku grins. “Forever and ever?”

Ryo cannot afford to hesitate. “Yes.”

“Ah, I’m so happy, Ryo-san!” Riku exclaims ecstatically, “I love you so much, Ryo-san! I love you and only you. I’ll get rid of anyone who so much troubles you or hates you, and I’ll make sure you’ll only have me in your mind.”

He moves to kiss him, but just before their lips touch -

“Ryo-san…” Haruka chokes out, “Please don’t -,”

“Haruka, just stay there and listen to me!” Ryo blurts out.

Riku pauses, and the arms around his neck stiffen. 

“Ah, Riku, I -,”

“Ryo-san,” Riku says nonchalantly. His eyes are staring at Ryo still, but gone is the manic love. Now, there is nothing but slow frost, matching the cold anger seeping in his tone. “Didn’t I tell you before? Why are you saying another person’s name when I’m here?”

“Riku, listen -”

“If you keep disobeying me like this -,”

Ryo could barely blink. He doesn’t have time to react. Riku’s hands are moving before he realizes it and he sees a flash of silver. Not from the bat but from -

Behind him, Haruka is screaming again.

Riku’s cold eyes glint. “I’ll just have to make sure you’ll never have an excuse to say anyone’s name ever again.”

Ryo sees a flash of silver.

Ryo feels a sharp, hot, blinding pain.

Ryo hears a maniacal laughter.

Then, finally, he sees the steak knife in Riku’s hands, stained with blood that Ryo knows is his own.

The police find Haruka the next morning, looking at nothing in particular as his lips continue to move. He is unrestrained, but he doesn’t move from his spot on the floor, surrounded by the dead bodies of the missing people. His gaze is unfocused and he continues to mumble.

“He’s gone. He’s gone. He’s gone.”

“Who’s gone?” asks one policeman.

Haruka doesn’t look at him. His eyes are empty and unseeing - all life drained out from them from what he had witnessed the night before.

“They’re gone,” he says instead, “To be with each other.”

He smiles, empty and dazed.

“Forever.”

_Months later_

“Ryo-san, stop that.” Despite his words, Riku is all smiles and giggles when he feels lips lightly grazing his throat. “You’re so needy.”

Ryo doesn’t speak. He continues to kiss along Riku’s throat, his arms pulling the boy close. The cottage - located far in the outskirts of Japan - is quaint and quiet. Peaceful. Riku could get used to this.

“Ryo-san,” Riku coos, “Say you love me.”

He is met with silence. Riku closes his eyes. He doesn’t get angry. Instead, he smiles and turns his head to press a kiss on Ryo’s cheek.

“It’s okay,” he says, “You don’t need to say it. I know how you feel.”

Ryo still doesn’t speak.

He cannot.

Riku lightly traces the long scar on Ryo’s throat, his touch tender and full of love. The wound had long healed, and the scar won’t fade completely, but that’s fine. It reminds Riku of his love for Ryo. It reminds Ryo of who loves him more than anyone else in the world.

He doesn’t need a voice to express his love for Riku. Riku understands him just fine. He’s the only one who can truly understand him, after all.

He wraps his arms around Ryo’s waist, pulling him into a tight embrace.

“I’ll say it to you instead. I love you, Ryo-san,” Riku murmurs. 

He kisses the place on Ryo’s chest where he could hear his heart beat steadily underneath.

“I’ll take care of you forever and ever.” 

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> me, shows this to friends: what do you think  
> them: you're giving this to her for her BIRTHDAY????
> 
> art by @RoseNiji2704 on Twitter! 
> 
> :3


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